There was snow in the sky as Chair 1 started turning at 8:30am November 13th at Mammoth Mountain. The wintery kick off to the season at this legendary resort was a welcome shift from fall and as bindings were strapped and turns were linked, those familiar winter feelings rushed back. Of course, Mammoth’s first weekend of the year is a reunion for snowboarders not only from California, but from all over the West Coast. The liftline was packed with familiar faces: Mammoth locals Garrett Warnick and Scott Blum; Tahoe-transplants John Jackson, Danny Davis, Tim Humphreys, and Scott Vine; Mervin’s Pete Saari, Mike Olsen, Krush Kulesza, Jesse Burtner, Barrett Christy, Jamie Anderson, Matt and Temple Cummins and many more. Laps were taken, bar tabs were open at Tusk’s, and the beginning of winter was celebrated.

As the sun receded behind the Minarets, a flock of boarders headed to Wave Rave, where Volcom’s Mr. Plant and The SNOWBOARDER Movie: Foreword were being shown on a big screen in back of the shop. The packed crowd was fueled with excitement from being back on snow earlier in the day and was more than stoked to check out the films, especially parts from hometown heroes Blum and Warnick in Mr. Plant and The SNOWBOARDER Movie, respectively. And rightly so. Both of these riders had collected insane footage and the supportive community of Mammoth was vocal in their excitement to see their friends’ well-earned recognition. The wiley Dylan Alito had flown in for the premiere, as well, and he and Garrett were having what looked like the best night ever. As the credits rolled, the audience dispersed, some to the village to continue the evening and others back home in anticipation of sunny weather the following day. Either way, opening weekend had just begun.

Stay tuned for more from Mammoth opening weekend over the next few days on Snowboarder.com and follow @snowboardermag on Instagram for up-to-the-moment images.